


Will Change Later

by Skylar_Matthews



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Mildly Gruesome Imagery, Minor Blood Mention, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 8,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26757409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylar_Matthews/pseuds/Skylar_Matthews
Summary: I got challenged to do Whumptober in an effort to get myself writing more consistently again so here it is. There's no real plot because I forgot to read the prompts ahead of time. Oops. Tags will change as things happen.
Kudos: 5





	1. Let's Hang Out Sometime

**Author's Note:**

> So I guess I'm doing this thing. Humans aren't my usual fare so if any wording is weird it might be because it fits in my other fandom. Oops. This is unbeta-ed and I have no real plot built, just kinda going with the individual prompts as I reach them. Maybe it'll become a full story later. Rating might go up as I decide how vicious this will end up.
> 
> Do enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> waking up restrained/shackled/hanging

Adora woke with a groan as her sore body demanded her attention. She wasn’t quite sure how long she’d been drifting in and out of consciousness but even without opening her eyes she knew she wasn’t in Bright Moon anymore. It was too dark, for one thing, which didn't get any better when she did finally force her eyes open. Wherever she was it was dark. And strangely damp too. There was a wetness that hung in the air and seemed to seep into her body the more she noticed it around her. That was fine. She would be fine once she got out of here.

That was when Adora realized she couldn't move. Not because she was too injured or exhausted, though she did feel both of those tremendously. No, her arms were stretched above her head and her wrists shackled. The strain on her arms and wrists had been just another background pulse of pain but now that stress forced itself to the front of her awareness like getting hit by a tank. It was no help at all that her restraints were drawn so high her feet barely touched the ground. Great, just great...

Adora didn't feel the frown on her face as she tried to figure out how to free herself. It wouldn't be easy but there had to be a way. She had to get back to her friends somehow. If only she could see her surroundings or figure out how to free her hands. Even just getting rid of the pervasive headache that fogged up her mind would be a start.

Pain exploded in her brain as her eyes were assaulted by a brilliant light a short distance ahead. It took considerable effort to reopen her eyes and Adora squinted in an effort to see what was beyond the sudden doorway but her efforts were futile. Both because it was far too bright to see out and because a figure stepped into view, thwarting her efforts.

A familiar voice drawled out a very familiar phrase. “Hey, Adora…”


	2. In The Hands of the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "pick who dies"/collars/kidnapped

"Hey, Adora."

"Catra!" The relief in Adora's voice was palpable. Sure, she couldn't remember how or why she ended up here but it was always good to see the other girl. "I'm so glad you're okay. What happened? Where are we?"

The answer was enough to send a chill down her spine. “Beast Island.”

“What happened?” the blonde asked again. “How did we get here?”

Catra was silent as she strode into the cell and came to a stop in front of Adora. "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

"What are you talking about, Catra?"

“That’s enough.” Before the feline girl got the chance to answer, another figure appeared. Tall and dark with intimidation dripping off her in waves, Shadow Weaver hovered in the doorway overlooking the two. “You know how I feel about you tormenting Adora, Catra.”

“Sorry, Shadow Weaver,” Catra muttered with her head low and she took a couple steps back.

“That’s better.”

“What’s this about, Shadow Weaver? Why are you here too?” Adora asked.

“That’s simple, my child. I am here to offer you a choice.”

“A choice?” It was all Adora could do to focus on the situation at hand and her weariness surely slipped into her voice. “What kind of choice?”

Shadow Weaver moved sideways and another body came into focus in the light. Dark magic held up a short girl in pink and purple with a tattered dress. “I trust you know who this is.”

“Glimmer!” The name slipped from Adora’s lips on instinct and the name was what brought back flashes of memory. Morning training sessions and afternoon meetings mixed with some random adventures in the Whispering Woods. She couldn’t quite explain why, but that girl was important to her too.

“Yes, Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon. One of the most valuable figures in the rebellion.” Adora would never admit it but she was grateful that Shadow Weaver had decided to fill her in; this was all new information to her. Still, one thing didn’t make sense.

“Why are you telling me this?” Adora asked.

“So you know exactly how important she is to this planet before I offer you your choice.”

“And what is that choice?”

“You get to decide who dies,” Catra piped in unasked. She wore a smug smirk when Adora turned to her.

“What?”

Shadow Weaver was not amused either. “Impudent brat.”

“What?” Catra asked back with a careless flip of her hair. “You get to say everything else and I wanted some fun too.”

“You would do well to remember your place.” Shadow Weaver turned from Catra then, not even bothering to allow her a response.

However, neither did Adora let her speak. “I won’t let you kill her,” she said, struggling as much as she could against her bonds. “You’ll have to kill me instead.”

Shadow Weaver laughed. “Oh Adora, that is not the choice I am giving you. You have to decide between the princess’s life and hers.”

Catra squeaked in the corner as dark magic surrounded her now too and she was moved to hover beside Glimmer. 

“No.” The word came out breathless and Adora’s eyes widened. “You can’t do this.”

“I am doing nothing, Adora. That is the magic of this place. Someone here must die and you get to choose which of these two it will be.”


	3. My Way or the Highway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> manhandled/forced to their knees/held at gunpoint

“Make your choice, Adora."

Shadow Weaver loomed behind the two girls she held captive in her magic. "I have no qualms against ending them both if you do not choose."

"You can't do this, Shadow Weaver," Adora pleaded, struggling once more against the restraints holding her in place. "Catra's part of the Horde. You need her."

"Then I guess your choice is simple, child."

And maybe it was that simple.

Catra was a fellow Horde soldier, another of Shadow Weaver’s favorites. Catra was important, both to Shadow Weaver and the Horde.

It should have been simple.

And yet she couldn’t say it.

She couldn’t bring herself to name Glimmer and watch the girl die despite the fact she was a rebel soldier.

Or maybe because of it.

How could she condemn the entire planet with this one choice? The rebels were fighting for something important, weren’t they? Who was she to undermine all their work with this one choice?

But how could she sacrifice Catra?

“I am waiting, Adora.” Shadow Weaver’s voice barely penetrated her inner turmoil. “You need to decide before I kill them both.”

A pained cry from Catra did so much more than any mere words from their guardian ever could. It struck right to Adora’s heart and she had to act. Squeezing her eyes shut before the brilliant light could leak out, Adora focused on breaking the cuffs that held her trapped in place. It was so much easier now that she wasn't struggling to reach the ground.

With a loud clang, the metal bowed to her will and Adora was free. It was instinct rather than intention which made her draw her sword and level it at the witch. "I refuse to play your games, Shadow Weaver. They will not die here. Now, you will let us leave or there will be a death."

The mask hid any expression upon the woman’s face and her posture was the same as it ever was but this was no mere scolding from Adora’s childhood. Literally everything in her world at that moment hinged on the choice her guardian made.


	4. Running Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> caged/buried alive/collapsed building

It seemed like an eternity before the witch finally gave her answer.

"Do what you will with them. They are no longer my concern." The magic surrounding both Catra and Glimmer disappeared and both fell to the floor in a heap. "I will warn you though; this place will not like you trying to leave without offering it something. Not even the way you are now."

Shadow Weaver stepped back and disappeared into the shadows before Adora could question her. That was fine though. That had to be fine. They could find a way out on their own.

Adora glanced down at the two limp bodies and tried not to sigh. Okay, /she/ could find a way out on her own. She just had to. Her friends' lives were counting on her.

Crouching down, Adora grabbed Catra and tossed her over her shoulder then stuck Glimmer under the opposite arm. It was awkward and wouldn't be fast going but at least she wasn't so worn out anymore and she did need her dominant hand free in case she needed to swing her sword at anything.

It would really be helpful to know why and how she had a sword, much less whether she knew how to use it all but those questions were not going to help them get out of this place. At least holding the sword felt natural so that had to be good, right? Even if it was really weird that it appeared literally out of nowhere almost like one of Shadow Weaver's magical creations...

Adora shook her head hard enough to feel dizzy for a moment. Now was not the time for that. She had to get everyone to safety and the first step was the doorway that was thankfully still open. It seemed the only way in or out of that cell but what she found outside was nothing like what she expected.

Beyond the cell was a vast room with several other openings to darkness like the one she was exiting. The walls and ceiling all looked crystalline and seemed to glow. There were no light sources so it had to be the walls, Adora noticed, while also failing to notice that the walls had living vines crawling along them. Of course, that no longer mattered so much as a new problem took precedence.

The moment Adora stepped outside the dark room and into the light, the light changed from a soft periwinkle to a deep, menacing red, accompanied by a shrill alarm that pierced right into her brain and reactivated the headache she'd somehow forgotten about. Crying out, she almost sank to her knees but barely managed to keep her balance. Barely. She really didn’t have time for that. 

There was a loud slam as the opening behind her no longer existed, more of the crystal now filled the space. Then she noticed the ground was shaking. Perhaps the whole structure. Something cracked high above her and Adora looked up in time to see part of the ceiling break off right above them. She dove to the side, sending them all tumbling away from the area of impact. She heard more cracking as she collected her friends again but didn't look. There wasn't time. It was bad enough seeing the pieces falling around the room, blocking many potential exits but still leaving too many choice.

Still, she was at a loss for which way to go and Adora groaned despite herself. This was harrowing enough and now she had to pick a door. Just great. "Come on," she muttered to herself absently. "Which way will get us out of here?"

A door on her left slid open and a piece of the ceiling landing in front of them. "That works for me."

Without hesitation, Adora took off down that newly opened path. Sure, it probably wasn't the safest route but it was much safer than staying there. And when nothing happened for a couple solid minutes, she let herself believe that it had actually been a good choice.

Until she came to a dead end.

That was fine, she could just blast it with her-

It was then Adora noticed her sword had gone missing. She wasn't really sure why that bothered her but it did since it would have been incredibly helpful. That was fine though. It's not like she had any idea where it came from anyway nor should it matter to her. She would just have to try another path.

Adora turned around and began backtracking but soon found another problem. That way was blocked too.

"No, no, no, no..." she muttered to herself as she let her friends' bodies slip to the ground so she could start trying to dig at the rubble. They couldn't be stuck here. She couldn't let them die like this.

Her digging quickly slowed as her exhaustion hit once more and drained all her energy. Adora fell to her knees, still struggling to shift the rubble blocking their path. This couldn't happen. She didn’t want to be the reason they both died!

There was nothing she could do though. Her arms would barely move and even her eyelids were drifting closed of their own accord. She reached out trying to find her friends and took their hands in hers. If this was the end at least none of them had to be alone.


	5. Where Do You Think You're Going?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> on the run/failed escape/rescue

"Adora..."

Her eyes opened to the voice and Adora looked around. She was in an empty space with weird specks of light in the distance. She didn't get time to question that or why she felt like there was a word for something so strange because someone suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of her. The woman was much taller than her with long, flowing hair even lighter than Adora's own and wearing actual armor. Adora had never seen her before in her life and yet she felt intimately familiar.

"Who are you?" she asked, reaching out towards the other blonde. The figure stayed silent but her last word echoed in the air around them.

"I don't understand," Adora tried again. "What is this place? Why am I here? Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Adora..."

Her name again but the voice was different now, distorted somehow, and the woman watching her still hadn't moved her lips. It would be unnerving if it wasn't so annoying.

"Please." Adora was practically begging now. "What do you want from me?"

All she heard was her own voice echoing back to her. "Me... me... me... me..."

Before Adora could say anything else, she heard her own name again and this time it cut straight through her brain.

"Adora!"

Her eyes flew open and Adora sat up instinctively. She was immediately tackled into a hug by an exuberant but tearful Glimmer. "I am so glad you finally woke up. I thought I was too late and something horrible had happened to you. The last thing I remember is seeing Shadow Weaver and then everything went dark and it was still dark when I woke up but you were there but not waking up so I just teleported without thinking..."

"You saved us?" Adora asked, still a bit bewildered. As Glimmer pulled back, she was able to take in the environment and the blonde stared at it blankly as she tried to process everything she was hearing. Pillars of an unknown material surrounded them in a ring with trees just beyond that looked more than a little creepy, if Adora was honest with herself. Fortunately or not, she didn’t have time for that as she suddenly remembered something. “Where’s Catra? You didn’t leave her behind, did you?”

Glimmer scoffed. “She may be the enemy but I couldn’t do that to you. She’s right over… Oh no, she’s gone!”

Adora turned in the direction her friend indicated and forced herself to stand. “Come on, we can fin- ow!”

“Adora! You shouldn’t do that. You need to rest.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Adora, waving off the help. “I’m just tired and a little, ok, a lot sore, but that doesn’t matter. We need to find Catra before anything else can and we’ll cover more ground if we split up.”

Glimmer groaned. “This is a horrible idea and we’re probably going to die.”

“Does that mean you won’t do it?”

“Oh, I will,” Glimmer stated as she stood beside Adora. “I just want it on record that I was the one who knew this was going to be a disaster. Usually it’s my plans that are going to fall apart.”

“Thanks, Glimmer. You’re the best.”


	6. Please...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "get it out"/no more/"stop, please"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mildly gruesome imagery towards the end. If that worries you then you'll probably wanna skip once Adora's top comes off.

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea to go wandering alone in a creepy forest on an island of horrible creatures with no weapons and barely any energy. It was also neither the stupidest nor most irrational thing Adora had ever done for or because of Catra, though it was high on the list. She and Glimmer had intentionally split up but only a few dozen feet into the trees they had already lost sight of one another and now Adora was regretting everything. Every step she took felt like the time she’d carried Rogelio on her back during a training exercise.

Something moved in the trees near her and Adora took up a stance, readying herself, though for what for even she didn't know. She couldn't really fight; she was too sore and her limbs would barely move, plus she didn't even have a weapon anymore. Absently, she recalled the sword she'd had but put it out of her mind. It was already gone and there was no use in complaining about what she didn't have. It was unbecoming of a proper Horde soldier.

Adora was torn from her thoughts by a familiar shriek. She immediately took off running in the direction of the shout. If she could arrive in time maybe she could help. Somehow...

She broke through a line of trees and got to see the girl she was looking for across an opening in the trees, right before falling into the open pit she hadn't noticed at her feet.

"Catr-ah!"

The hole in the ground spanned probably the whole clearing and the sides were more of that weird crystal stuff so there was nowhere for Adora to catch on and stop herself from falling. She was just thankful that it wasn't a very long fall, even if pain lanced through her entire body when she hit the ground.

"Did you have a nice fall?"

Adora looked up to see Catra hanging over the hole, looking down at her and laughing. "If I'd known that you would fall for that I would've tried to lure you here."

"Why did you leave us?" Adora asked, ignoring Catra's comment. "It'll be safest if we all stick together."

"There's no way I'm going back to your princess party even if I did trust Sparkles to not take me prisoner."

"That doesn't matter, I- Ah!" Adora had tried to take a step forward but sank to the ground with a cry of pain instead. 

The pain was so intense she didn't even notice the scratching sound that started on the opposite end of the pit but it was hard not to notice the shadow that fell over her a short while after it stopped. Especially not with the voice attached to it. "You really don't know how to take care of yourself without me, huh?"

Adora struggled to look up at Catra as she crouched beside her. "Wha...?"

"You're bleeding, dummy," Catra told her without remorse. "Let me see what you did."

When Adora moved too slowly, Catra took matters into her own hands and pulled off both the blonde's vest and shirt and tossed them aside as if they offended her. The long gash in the left side of Adora's torso wasn't the most gruesome sight Catra had ever seen in her life, but somehow the fact that it was Adora this injured had her even more panicky than the time she'd had to clean eyeball goop from her claws as a child.

Something flashed in the wound when Adora took a shaky breath and Catra didn't waste time reaching for it. Whatever she'd seen was hard but the blood had made it slippery and as she tried to grab it, it slid further into the wound. Determined now, Catra dug into Adora's side to find out what it was.

Adora screamed at the pain but Catra ignored her suffering as she continued rooting around for what turned out to be a large shard of crystal. She offered it to Adora to see. "I was trying to get this outta you," she said with a huff. "I could put it back in if you don't like that."

"Please don't," Adora replied, barely managing the words.

"Yeah, I thought you'd think that."


	7. They Look So Pretty When They Bleed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> blood loss/internal bleeding/trail of blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote out this section then happened to look down the list of prompts and realized this section fit better to a different prompt so I changed the order of the prompt list I found. Oops? Today's prompt will be tomorrow and so on until I'm back on track. 
> 
> Also, there is a surprising lack of blood for a prompt that is so blood focused. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope those few of you who are bothering to read this enjoy!

The feline girl tossed the bit of crystal aside as she stood and began looking around.

"Catra, what are you doing?" Adora asked but her voice was faint.

"I thought you might not want to bleed out but I don't exactly have a medkit so I gotta get creative."

Catra paused when she found Adora's discarded tops and bent down to pick them up. She gave them a quick sniff and instantly regretted it, nearly throwing them on the ground once more. She caught herself in time and walked back over to Adora, tearing the fabric into ribbons as she moved. By the time she knelt beside the blonde there were only traces of her shirt left and Catra dropped those on Adora's lap while she started folding her jacket.

"Catra, wha-"

"No moving," Catra scolded Adora as she had to stop and physically force her to lay back down. "I'll sit on you if I have to to keep you still."

Adora laughed weakly at that. "Usually I have to tell you that."

"Yeah, well, you're the one being dumb this time." The brunette chuckled lightly herself before her tone returned to somber. "I'm gonna need you to hold this in place so I can tie it to you. Can you do that for me?"

Struggling to focus, Adora forced herself to look at what Catra was trying to show her. It was a weird squarish blob in a shade of red that she almost thought she recognized. She must have agreed because suddenly Catra was pressing it to her side and pulling Adora's hand over it.

"Just keep your hand here, okay?"

Adora thought she nodded, or maybe just muttered a feeble, "Uh huh," and she must have because Catra was suddenly gone.

There was noise...somewhere around and then her world tipped. She didn't know how. She didn't know why.

Adora could barely think but she made herself hold that fabric in place.

Catra said to do it so it had to be important.

Hopefully, Catra came back soon so she could sleep. There was something warm at her back and the looming darkness in her mind was a welcome abyss.

Pain shot through her torso and Adora screamed.

"Don't be such a baby."

The words came from nearby.

"Catra?" She was so close but also so far. If only Adora could reach her then everything would be right. Everything would make sense again.

There was more pain but this time it was less intense and she couldn’t even work up the energy to cry out. 

There was something much more important to worry about.

‘Where are you, Catra?’

Why wasn’t she answering?

Why wasn’t she here?

Was she even speaking out loud anymore?

The darkness welled within her and Adora stopped fighting. It was so much easier to just sink into it. 

As the darkness flowed over her head, she thought maybe she heard something but it had to be her imagination.

There was no one around.

There was no one here to save her.

“Adora!”


	8. I've Got You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> support/carrying/enemy to caretaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early chapter because I can't sleep and will probably crash for the rest of the day when I can. This way I don't miss posting for the day. Enjoy!

Floating.

She was floating.

Weightless and adrift with no body to bog her down as she meandered aimlessly amid colorful landscapes of bright scenery the likes of which couldn’t possibly be real. Absolutely none of it matched the drab, colorless constructs of her childhood nor the foreboding vividness of the Whispering Woods on the rare patrol or free time jaunt that brought her to the edge of the Fright Zone as a teen. Perhaps the closest comparable memory was from the few times she had been into Shadow Weaver’s sanctuary and seen the massive stone there. It had always felt different to her but even that held a far more sinister shade than what she saw now.

In short, she was captivated -perhaps even enraptured- by the myriad sights passing her by. And pass by they did as she had no control of her surroundings or even herself.

She was not even sure she even had a self anymore. The idea was not as worrying as maybe it should have been.

Life was difficult. Existing was painful.

She might not remember anything else but she did remember those. 

If she had no body, she had no need to worry.

It seemed the universe deemed to still prove her wrong as gravity suddenly took hold of her and she felt herself falling.

Falling…

Falling…

Falling.

The pain of her landing exploded in her side and she gasped for air desperately. Something splashed when she moved and then it didn’t matter because she was being shook and the pain grew tenfold. She might have screamed but there was liquid on her lips and somehow that was the part she focused on.

There was sound nearby but she couldn’t understand it and when she tried to look she realized her eyes were still shut tight. She forced them to open, then blinked several times quickly to chase away the blurriness.

“Oh good,” said a familiar voice, slowly coming into focus. “You are okay. You’re a real jerk for trying to scare me like that, Adora.”

She blinked a few more times to get a clearer visual of the cat girl in front of her.

“Not talking to me now? Okay, fine. I get it. You don’t owe me an apology after I mighta tied your bandages a bit too tight. But how was I supposed to know you couldn’t handle it? I’ve felt way worse before.”

Adora opened her mouth in response to that but no words came out. The other girl -Catra! she finally remembered- stopped pacing and turned to face her with a troubled expression.

“Don’t tell me something’s actually wrong with you now.” Catra leaned in close and peered at her. “I swear I wasn’t trying to poison you with that fruit. It’s just the only thing that looked halfway edible on this island. Unless you count the pests but I thought you wouldn’t want those.”

There was silence between them for a moment before Catra groaned. “Ugh, fine! I don’t know what I’m doing so wrong that you’re acting like this now but I don’t want you to die so I guess it’s up to me to find your other girlfriend. Maybe Sparkles knows some glitter magic that’ll return you to normal.

“Can you stand?” Catra held out her hand to Adora but she could only stare at it and then back her face. Catra groaned once more. “Fine! It is so like you to slack off and make me do everything on my own. You just… stay here. I’ll go find Sparkles myself.”

Catra spun around and walked away grumbling to herself under her breath. “I didn’t wanna have to try and carry you up that cliff anyway.”


	9. Where Did Everybody Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "don't say goodbye"/abandoned/isolation

Between one blink and the next, Catra seemed to vanish.

Adora didn't have any words for it.

It was as though one minute she existed and the next she no longer did. She wanted to muster the energy to be sad about it but she could barely keep her eyes open anymore.

Did that matter though? She was alone. Left behind. Forgotten. Everyone was gone and she couldn't even remember them.

Her head hurt.

Thinking hurt.

Why was she bothering? She was alone, but maybe she was waiting for someone?

If only she could get the pounding in her head to leave.

Adora closed her eyes and the world went dark.

~

Adora’s return from the depths was accompanied by muffled shouting. The screaming worried her but she couldn’t open her eyes to find the source and that only worried her more. There had to be words to it; it was too inconsistent to not be words, but she couldn’t hear them. Maybe there were multiple voices too? Adora tried desperately to reach awareness so she could try to understand but it was impossible. She struggled through a dense fog that lay over her mind as a heavy fluffy blanket would weigh down her body. Darkness loomed at the edge of her senses, threatening to crash over her like a wave and pull her back down into the abyss of her own mind.

The voices changed. Was there a new one? Adora didn’t know and she couldn’t find out.

Her eyes wouldn’t open.

Her limbs wouldn’t move.

She couldn’t even speak.

One of the voices sounded closer. No, further. She really had no idea but they were different again.

A voice spoke near her. Maybe to her? She wasn’t sure why she thought that but she did.

Someone screamed, much louder and harsher this time.

Pain exploded within her.

The wave of darkness came crashing down.


	10. I think I've Broken Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> broken down/broken bones/broken trust

Adora jolted awake with a harsh gasp, practically flinging herself to a seated position. Her entire left side was alight with a burning pain but she didn’t have time to focus on that.

"Adora! You're awake." The words came as a body crashed into her and a pair of arms wrapped around her body. "I'm so happy you woke up! We were all so worried that we were going to lose you."

"Bow!" Glimmer complained. "You're crowding her. Give Adora some space. You might hurt her more."

The blonde had to blink and then take a moment to stare once the boy had released her. He was busy rubbing the back of his head as he gave a soft apology and she almost neglected to respond at all.

"Uh, no. You're okay," Adora told him awkwardly.

Bow turned from her to Glimmer and tried to whisper but she was still able to hear him. "Is Adora okay? She seems... odd."

"I told you she's been acting strange since I found her," Glimmer replied at a similar volume.

"Do you think this is some sort of She-ra thing?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her transform yet."

Something about that was familiar and Adora couldn't help speaking up. "What's a 'She-ra'?"

The duo both turned to look at her with varied degrees of horror and concern upon their faces. Bow was the one who managed to speak. "You don't remember anything about She-ra? Like, at all?”

“Hmmm… Nope.”

“Are you sure? She’s magic and fights really great and stands like this tall.” Bow rose to his feet beside Glimmer to show off an approximate height.

“Oh… Do you mean the pretty lady I keep seeing?”

“What does that mean?” Glimmer whispered at Bow, still horribly loud and he just shrugged.

“Come on, you have to know. What with the whoosh and the swinging and the slicing things in half.”

This time Bow jumped around to mimic attacking things with some sort of weapon and as Adora thought about it she remembered something. “Oh! Do you mean with a sword? I had one of those!”

“Great!” Bow cheered in response. “Where is it?”

“Oh, I lost that in the tunnel before I fell asleep.”

Glimmer gasped and started pacing, ranting to herself. “Oh that’s just great. We’re all doomed. Adora’s broken and can’t turn into She-ra so the Horde is going to take over all of Etheria.”

Familiar laughter came from off to the side and Adora turned to see Catra, tied up and sitting on the ground several meters away. “Looks like you lose, Sparkles. Even when you have Adora, you can’t beat me.”

Glimmer groaned and stomped her way over to Catra. “You! This is all your fault. I don’t know what you did or how you did it but I know you caused Adora to forget everything. Did you think you could get her back if you did that? You will never have her again. She’s not like you and frankly, she’s too good for you.”

Catra growled and tried to lunge but she was still bound and landed in the dirt. “You’ll pay for that one, Sparkles. Adora will always prefer me.”

“Why hasn't she tried to help you yet then?”

Before Catra could answer, there was a loud rumbling that shook the entire area around them.


	11. For the Greater Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "take me instead"/"run!"/ritual sacrifice

A shrill metallic shriek pierced the air as the ground rattled beneath them. Even the trees encircling their clearing shook, and decidedly more so in the direction of the sound. They heard several loud cracks just before a half dozen trees crashed to the ground and a creature emerged from the forest. Long and serpentine while also massively large, the creature looked as though it could swallow them all up in one go if it tried.

And it was eyeing them up from across the rift Adora had fallen into earlier.

Thankfully the chasm spanned deep into the forest on both sides and her friends noticed it, though Adora herself was too busy staring at the creature. Bow even commented on their obvious safety.

“You know, that thing would be a lot scarier if it was over here but it’s almost cute all the way over there.”

Naturally, it took all of about three seconds for the creature to decide they were in fact worth it’s time and another half second to bridge the gap over the chasm.

While all three members of the Best Friend Squad spent a moment just staring, Catra took to shouting at them. “You just had to go and say something, didn’t you?”

That was when the screaming started. Adora was first, which sent the creature into a roar and a charge. Then Bow and Glimmer screamed in unison. Only Catra managed to maintain some dignity. At least until the creature took a sharp turn in her direction and she yelped as she dove away from it. It didn’t seem interested in her though. Instead, the creature made a wide loop around the clearing.

“We’re being trapped,” Bow called out. “Get us out of here, Glimmer.”

“I can’t,” the princess replied. “I told you I used up all my magic earlier. We’ll have to fight.”

“We can’t do that. I used all my arrows looking for you.”

“What?” Glimmer looked at him, terrified. “How could you use all your arrows?”

“I thought you’d just teleport us all to safety once I found you. How could you use all your magic?”

Glimmer didn’t answer that. “What are we going to do?”

“You could start by untying me,” Catra commented. “This is really inconvenient, you know.”

Glimmer looked ready to argue but Bow stepped forward to help. “Bow! She’s the enemy.”

“Right now that thing wants us dead, her included,” the boy replied as he worked the knots in the rope. “The enemy of my enemy and all that. I’d much rather have her fighting on our side.”

“And what if she turns on us?”

“Then we deal with that after we deal with the giant monster that’s about to eat us.”

The ropes slipped down Catra’s arms and to the ground. She flexed a hand and pulled out her claws. “Thanks, Arrow Boy. Now I want you to get Sparkles and Adora and get out of here. She’s not as light as she looks so you’ll both have to carry her. But there’s a gap by its tail you can use to escape if you're fast enough.”

“Are you crazy? We can’t leave you to fight that thing alone.”

“Hey,” Catra snapped. “I got this. You just make sure Adora gets out of here alive. Got it?”

Bow stammered a bit. “Got it. Come on, Glimmer.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to where Adora was. Together they helped her up off the ground and to her feet as Catra stared down the creature.

“If you want a meal, you’re gonna have to work for it. Now come at me.”

Catra lunged at the creature as it lunged at her.


	12. Psych 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> defiance/struggling/crying

Adora was half out of it again as her friends collected her so they could escape. That was the only explanation for three very important things. Why was there suddenly a giant monster? Why was it attacking them? And why could only she hear the screaming?

She had heard her friends screaming but this was different. It was sharper somehow and it hurt her insides. Well, not her actual insides but more like her brain. Did that even make sense? She wasn’t sure but then, she also wasn’t sure why she was even thinking about it.

Adora blinked and found herself on the ground in a tangle with Bow and Glimmer. They both struggled to their feet and reached down to help her up, which she accepted so they could continue. Something was wrong though.

There was someone missing.

“Where’s Catra?” Adora suddenly blurted out. 

Bow answered. “She’s fighting so we can get you out of here.”

“We can’t leave her behind!” Adora protested.

“You can barely walk and we can’t fight while helping you,” Bow tried to explain. “Catra’s a big girl, she’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” Glimmer chimed in. “Now come on, Adora, we need to go.”

But Adora dug in her heels and refused to let them guide her forward. The sounds of battle had finally registered behind her and she had to turn to look. 

Naturally, she chose the absolute worst moment to do so.

Catra was poised on the giant creature’s head, doing her best to reach its eyes but as Adora watched, the monster shook its head vigorously, sending Catra flying. She landed only a short distance away and sent up a small cloud of dust with her impact. There didn’t seem to be any damage done as she stood easily enough but the creature had gone after her immediately and was upon the feline girl before she had time to react.

“Catra!”

Adora’s cry was somehow both a warning and a sorrowful response to the scene before her eyes.

One moment Catra was there, and the next she had been gobbled up by the monster. 

The blonde didn’t even notice herself moving as she rushed at the creature. She didn’t have a plan or really any sort of goal other than to somehow save Catra.

“Adora!” Twin shouts echoed behind her but they couldn’t catch up to her. She’d always been faster than them due to her training with the Horde and even injured she wasn’t going to let anything horrible happen to Catra.

“Hey!” Adora screamed at the creature as she came close. “Let her go!”

What little plan she had hinged on running up and hitting it. Instead, the monster let her get close before it opened its mouth and scooped her up as well.

The last thing Adora heard was her friends’ screaming before the mouth closed and she was cut off from all light.

Then everything tipped and she landed on a soft but damp material that pulled her down like quicksand.


	13. Breathe In, Breathe Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> delayed drowning/chemical pneumonia/oxygen mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda rushed 'cause I didn't have much time at all today but I wanted to get /something/ up for the day for it to officially count.

As Adora sank she had the time to notice that it felt less like the time she had sunk in the quicksand out in the Crimson Waste and more like her first night in the Bright Moon palace when she had nearly drowned in the pillows on the bed given to her. That it felt like pillows when she was being swallowed by some terrifying creature kinda creeped her out, but she’d never been eaten by anything before so she really didn’t know what was inside a living creature. Maybe it felt like pillows in her throat to the ration bars she’d grown up on. 

The absurd ramblings of her brain got interrupted when she suddenly could no longer breathe. There was no air, just more of that pillowly substance. She tried to scream and in hindsight it was a very bad idea. All she managed was a mouthful of a slightly sharp taste. Besides being gross, it also kinda burned her tongue. And it absolutely was not air.

A few more instinctive gasping attempts to breathe also failed and now panic was setting in. Not only was there no air, but it felt like she had been stabbed in her side, and on top of everything else, she had no idea where Catra had ended up or how they would get out even if she did find her!

A scream tore through her head again and Adora’s whole world shook. It sounded philosophical but really everything around her started moving like she was inside a shaken bottle after the noise only she heard. 

Pain tore through her ankle but this one was familiar. She’d felt those claws countless times over her life and if it hurt that much then the girl they belonged to must have plenty of fight left in her. Maybe that would be a bad thing but in that moment Adora could only be glad that Catra was still ready to fight. Together they could get out of any problem.

Forgetting her surroundings, Adora tried to shout to her friend but simply ended up with more grossness in her mouth. She didn’t even want to consider how much she might have swallowed. 

She also wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep thinking. Her head was getting full of fog again.

The pain in her ankle got worse, pulling her back to awareness enough to notice she was sinking much faster than before. What awaited her at the bottom? Was there a bottom?

Adora really didn’t know if she wanted to find out either way.


	14. Is Something Burning?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> branding/heat exhaustion/fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really gotta stop waking up so late and leaving myself only an hour to do this...

"Adora!"

"Glimmer, stop!" Bow had to throw himself at his friend to restrain her. Left unchecked she was about to run at the monster that had just devoured their after consuming an enemy. He all but had to physically drag her off behind a pillar where they could have a moment of safety. "What are you doing?"

"We have to help her, Bow. We can't just let Adora die!"

"I know that but what can we do? You're out of magic and I don't have any more arrows. All we'll manage is to get eaten too."

"But Bow!"

"I know," he said with a small sigh. "There's gotta be something we can do with what's around here. I just need some time to come up with some kind of plan."

"Okay," Glimmer replied, "but hurry! We don't know what's happening to her in there."

Bow nodded and then set his attention to their surroundings, trusting that Glimmer would warn him in case anything happened. Only a few minutes later he was regretting that choice as she shook him for his attention after he'd ignored her third unnecessary update on the creature's behavior. How was he supposed to know what was normal or weird for giant snakes?

"Bow! You need to see this. It's acting really weird!"

"Glimmer, I am trying to focus so-" He paused and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?"

Bow turned towards the creature just in time to see a bright white light appear in it's body near the ground. As he watched, it grew brighter and brighter.

"I've got a bad feeling," he murmured. Bow caught Glimmer's wrist as he stood and started to pull her as he ran in the other direction. "I don't know what it's gonna do but we need to get out of here."

Glimmer thankfully agreed and they managed to reach a fallen slab and dive behind it just before a blinding flash of light encompassed the area.


	15. Into the Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Possession/Magical Healing/Science Gone Wrong

When the blinding flash of light dimmed, Bow and Glimmer were able to peak out from behind their shelter and found quite the surprise. The monster lay on the ground, split in half with melted edges and just in front of it were two figures. Catra looked as angry as ever with her tail sticking almost straight up and she faced Adora, who was currently in She-ra form. Even now, it seemed like the pair were in the middle of an argument.

“I didn’t need your help,” Catra shouted. “I had it.”

“Who was the one who got us out when your scratches were just making it angrier?” Adora challenged her.

“You didn’t even know what was happening!” Catra three her arms wide as Bow and Glimmer made their way over, still unnoticed. “You were basically passed out when I pulled you free.”

Adora stuttered a bit. “Uh… no…?” She crosses her arms. “Besides, that doesn’t matter. I’m still the one who got us free.”

“Yeah sure, take all the credit just because your sword is a little bit longer than my claws. It’s not all about size, Adora. You also need skill and boy do you need skill.”

Adora huffed but didn’t get to respond to Catra as she suddenly noticed her other friends and waved them over.

“It’s safe now, you guys. We beat the monster and I, uh, guess I found my sword.” She waved it to show them.

“That’s great,” Bow replied. His words came slowly, hesitant. “But should you really be moving around so much?”

“Why not?” Adora asked as Glimmer attacked her with a tearful hug.

“We just barely patched you up. What if your wound open worse?”

Adora looked at him curiously. “But I feel fine. Are you sure I got hurt as bad as you think?”

Catra got in her face then. “Do you really not remember me digging a piece of metal this long out of you?” The feline girl held her hands up to indicate the size, exaggerating it by at least half. “I probably still have your blood under my claws.”

That pulled a frown onto Adora’s face. “Guys, I feel fine. Great actually.”

Glimmer gasped and pulled away. “She’s right. Her wound is gone!”

Everybody leaned in to look but it was Catra who commented with a scoff. “Guess those princess powers of yours are worth something after all.”


	16. A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> forced to beg/hallucinations/shoot the hostage

"You know what, I'm not even gonna question how it happened," Bow stated.

"Isn't it great though?" Glimmer asked with a bright. "Now we don't have to be defenseless while we try to find the boat. Adora can protect us!"

"And what are we going to do about her?" Bow pointed at Catra who glared at him.

"We could take her hostage again?" Glimmer suggested.

Catra turned her glare on Glimmer then. "I am no one's prisoner."

The ground rumbled beneath their feet again, nearly knocking everyone down. A shriek followed and all four turned to look in the direction the first creature had come from. The trees were shaking.

Catra looked to the group. "I have a better idea. You are all _my_ prisoners and you're gonna come with me. Going that way.” 

She pointed in the opposite direction and Glimmer started to protest but Bow cut in. “You know what? That sounds like a good idea to me.”

“But, Bow, we can’t just let her win like that!” 

“And we won’t,” Bow replied. “But for right now we all want the same thing so it’s easier to agree. We can fight about who’s the hostage later, okay?”

“But-”

“Uh, guys,” Adora spoke up. “The trees are moving a lot more now. We might wanna make a choice soon.”

Glimmer groaned. “Okay, fine, but only because I wanna get off this island alive.”

“Was wondering when you’d see reason, Sparkles.” Catra’s tone was cool but her body was poised to move.. “Now, let’s go!”

She took off at a sprint forcing the other three to follow after. They were barely out of the open when they heard the first tree come crashing down followed by an extremely loud metal shriek in about a half dozen pitches.

“Ugh… I really don’t like this,” Glimmer said with a pout as she chased after Bow into the treeline.

Adora brought up the rear, in case they needed someone to fight something. “Yeah, but at least we’ll all get out safely like this.”

“I really hate that you trust her so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give up. My time management is impossible...
> 
> At least I'm still managing to post something on each day, even if it's short.


	17. I Did Not See That Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> blackmail/dirty secret/wrongfully accused

Much to Glimmer's irritation, nothing happened on their journey through the forest. Well, nothing Catra related anyway. They did encounter a few more creatures, thankfully much smaller ones this time, but between the combined effort of Adora and Catra they were able to skate by without harm. Even more thankfully, they eventually left the giant serpent monsters far, far behind them. Despite that, the ragtag group continued their trek through the dense forest until finally a bit of light broke through. No one dared run straight out into it after their last experiences and the four of them all stopped short of the treeline.

“Who gets to see what’s out there?” Bow asked. “I vote not me.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Glimmer added, “not me either.”

“Why do you guys always make me do everything?” Adora asked.

“Because you’re She-ra, duh? You’re the only one of us who can fight right now so you’ve gotta do it in case there’s another creature.”

“What about Catra?” Adora pointed to the final member as she asked about her. “She’s just as good a fighter as I am. Pretty much…”

Catra scoffed while Glimmer got upset. “I am not going to trust my safety to her! What if there is something out there? She’d probably just get it angry and turn it on us. No way!”

“But you trusted her to follow her this far.”

“I did not! We’re just taking her prisoner, like Bow said. Right, Bow?”

The boy stuttered, surprised to be drawn into the argument. “Well, I mean… I guess I did kinda say something pretty similar to that-”

“Exactly! So- Hey!” Glimmer’s hout turned startled as Catra suddenly pushed past her.

“Outta the way, princess. I’d rather take my chances out there than spend another minute listening to you idiots yammering on.”

Glimmer huffed but said nothing. Not that it would have mattered as Catra vanished shortly after and probably would’ve ignored her anyway.

Nerves were running high so they waited in silence for Catra to either poke her head back through the trees and tell them it was safe or else to give some sort of indication that it wasn’t; perhaps screaming or maybe running back past them. Instead, none of that happened and after a couple minutes had dragged past, their worries shifted.

Bow was the first one to actually speak. “She’s been out there a long time. Maybe we should take a peek and see what’s going on?”

“I agree,” Adora replied. “I’m worried about her. She should have been back by now so something terrible must have happened.”

“If that’s true then good riddance.”

“I thought you wanted to take her hostage?” Bow asked.

“Yeah, but not as much as I want to never have to deal with her again.”

Adora was only half listening and now stood. “I’m going to go check on her. When Catra’s quiet she’s either in trouble or causing trouble.”

“Let’s all look together,” Bow suggested. He rose to his feet too and then helped Glimmer up. “Then we’ll all know what’s going on.”

Adora nodded and they all stepped through the trees and into the light.

They found themselves atop a cliff that overlooked the sea. And on the water below them though a far ways out, was a small boat with a familiar figure standing in it as the ship sailed away.

“Hey, that’s our boat!” Bow’s voice sounded reasonably devastated. “How are we going to get home now?”

"Catra turned on us?" Somehow, as always, Adora sounded genuinely surprised by the fact.

“Who could have ever seen that coming?” Glimer asked of no one in particular. “Oh yeah, me!”


End file.
